Whispers on the Wind
by Ashabird
Summary: Naruto is the first of a bloodline that allows him to see far into the future and know the people's of Konoha's deepest, darkest secrets. What will Naruto do with these mysterious abilities? Who will rise to greatness guided by his all seeing power? Warning: embarrassing secrets revealed. Powerful Naruto. Foursome between Team Seven. T rating... for now
1. Ghost

**Chapter 1**

"I know you're powerful and I could probably even make you a jounin if you would just give me proof of your power, but I'd like for you to be able to make friends your own age and have a proper childhood even if it isn't much of one."

"The seer will have need of company on his chosen path, the monkey must choose wisely should the wrong card lead to destruction. A great garden torn asunder for favour of a road woven from the skin of pearly snakes. All the while the red moon watches, hidden behind the clouds, waiting."

"Naruto... just do your best alright?" Hiruzen sighed looking down at the child from behind his desk. He loved the boy like his own grandchild but damn if the kid didn't send shivers down his spine.  
"I'll try" Naruto replied smiling softly. The aging Hokage breathed out in relief. That was the most straightforward answer he had gotten from the boy all day. Perhaps he could even manage to get the rest of the night off seeing as he was finally beginning to understand what was being asked of him. After hours of trying to explain to Naruto that he would soon be out of the academy, or rather private tutoring since most parents were afraid to have their children schooled with him, and assigned to a genin team where he would have a chance to make a new (read good) impression, He had just been about to curl up in the fetal position and crawl under his desk to cry when his surrogate grandchild had finally responded. He would almost be ashamed that this little boy of no more than 14 years old had very nearly pushed him, the God of Shinobi, past his breaking point if he hadn't known that Naruto had reduced at least half of Konoha's jonin population to tears by the time he was ten. That was not to say that the ninja of the leaf village were incompetent or weak or that the Hokage was not in fact a hardened and widely known shinobi of great repute, but after hours of staring into those creepily pale blue, nearly white eyes and attempting to decipher the mess of vague riddles in which the boy spoke, he was ready to call it quits.  
"Well okay then, if you have any troubles adjusting you know you can come straight to me." Sarutobi strongly hinted, fingers twitching towards the drawer holding his precious Icha Icha. Giving one last knowing look Naruto withdrew from the office without a word. Leaving behind only the faintest sense of disquiet.

As Naruto left the Hokage building people gave him a wide berth. Though officially this was due to his new and rather strange bloodline, the truth of the matter was that it was mostly Naruto himself. Standing rather short for his age, but willowy at 5'3, Naruto would normally have been picked on at least halfheartedly if not for the subtle ethereal feeling which permeated from his body, which along with his almost doll like features gave an impression of otherworldliness. With an unusual colouring for Konoha, or anywhere really, Naruto had waist length icy silver blond hair which spiked down his back, ghostly pale skin and blue, nearly white, seemingly sightless eyes that made everybody who saw them cringe simply for the unfathomable number of secrets they held. Nonetheless He might have been able to pass off as a regular child, albeit a strange one, if not for his choice in clothing. No matter how people insisted, pleaded or in one case threatened, said man now spent most of his time talking to the walls of the resident asylum, Naruto had an undeniable preference for pure white yakuta and wooden geta. No one knew where he had gotten the clothing, but those who looked closely enough could see that the cloth was embroided with hundreds of strange seals and symbols in an almost invisible white thread. The geta especially unnerved people seeing as they should clack against the ground and alert people to his location and yet naruto walked completely without sound, as silently as a ghost. He resembled one too. A Spector of pale white wandering through the crowd. All seeing. Untouchable. The other reason people shied away from Naruto was to avoid his touch. Naruto was the first of his bloodline and it was well known that he could know a persons darkest secrets at a glance and their entire future at a simple touch should he choose. Even if that weren't enough incentive to avoid him there was also that he wasn't too shy about sharing those secrets. Never with malicious intent of course, and never anything of great importance, but despite many a fevered lecture Naruto just couldn't seem to grasp the idea of someone having personal secrets and often forgot that others did not know all that he did. They had named the new dojutsu the Kumosukugan, or spider scribe eye. Naturally the civilian council was eager to get their hands on the boy, corrupt as they were, despite their hatred both for Naruto and the demon which resided within him. What stopped them from turning him into cattle, to be milked for prophecies and children until the day he died, ironically was not the Hokage but the boy himself. No one ever found out exactly what he did, or even managed to connect him to it, but within the course of one week the civilian council were all found unfit for duty due to frequent and severe panic attacks. This didn't stop the new council from scheming of course, but his ability to predict their every move tended to put a damper on their more ambitious plots.

Twilight was draping across the sky in lazy ribbons and as per usual for this time of the day Naruto began to make his way to the Forest of Death, seemingly not noticing the dozen ANBU teams discreetly following him. Although the Hokage had given Naruto an apartment when he was younger, it had never been used for anything other then entertaining company. Despite how the Hokage tried to convince him otherwise, each night Naruto entered the Forest of Death only to appear again the next morning without a scratch. No one knew where he went at night, if he had a home, or if he even slept at all. This had led to a bet of sorts among the ANBU. On Ibiki's desk was a pot of money which held one ninth of the earnings of each ANBU in every division. it was large, enough so for a small village to live off of comfortably for a year in fact, and it was, by order of the Hokage, who had started this bet out of concern for the boy, to be awarded to anyone who could discover exactly where Naruto went every night. Then just to sweeten the pot (and ensure the participation of one of his best trackers) he added in a special uncensored platinum volume of the never before released Icha Icha authors friend edition signed by Jiraiya himself. As a sign of faith and in hope of an alliance, many years ago Jiraiya had sent every male Kage and several other major officials a copy of his not-yet-released new Icha Icha book. This had the opposite effect. After being released from intensive care from blood loss (due to drastic bleeding from the nose) nearly every Kage had been ready to go to war with Konoha and would have, if not for the Sandaime threatening to disclose the circumstances of the so called 'assassination attempts'. Eventually the books had been named a nation wide threat and were destroyed save for one final copy which would be awarded to whoever could get a picture of Naruto sleeping. Needless to say Kakashi was a major player in these games, to the point of even following him into the bathroom until the Hokage threatened to have his Icha Icha confiscated. Even at this very moment ANBU surrounded Naruto, hidden of course, holding their breath in anticipation, cameras at the ready. After what felt like hours, but had been only seconds, Naruto finally stepped forward disappearing into the thick foliage of the training ground. The hunt was on. With Kakashi at its forefront the crowd of ANBU elite raced into the forest trying their damnedest to track someone who apparently did not leave footprints. Even the Inuzuka and their partners were stumped, it should be impossible to erase ones scent so completely and yet here was this mere slip of a boy leaving the best trackers in the village confounded. After a few hours of searching, in which one particularly frustrated newcomer ripped up at least a tonne of dirt looking underground, the crowd was forced to call it a night.

The next morning naruto once again stepped from between the trees, unharmed and impeccably pale as always. Chuckling slightly upon seeing that he was alone, he began to make his way through the village to the academy, traversing through crowded streets and past storefronts. Smiling and nodding politely at people as he walked, despite noticing how they cringed ever so slightly when he passed by, Naruto stepped through the wide doors of a rather unremarkable building and made his way to the room which he recalled was presided over by Umino Iruka, a chunnin academy teacher. Silence smothered the excited chatter of the crowd as Naruto stepped through the small doorway. The students stared as he made his way to an empty seat beside a brooding dark haired boy and loud whispers buzzed throughout the room even as the boy made no move to acknowledge his presence. Ignoring the students questioning eyes Naruto proceeded to climb onto the desk and arrange himself into the lotus position, intending to meditate until the teacher arrived, when a commotion broke out behind the door. Naruto flinched as high pitched yelping and screaming assaulted his ears and suddenly the door burst open to reveal two girls pushing to get into the classroom ahead of each other.  
"Get out of my way Ino-pig, Sasuke-kun is mine!" A pink haired girl screeched shoving past her competition into the room  
"In your dreams Forehead! As if Sasuke-kun would fall for a girl with such a humongous forehead like yours!" A blond haired girl screeched back reaching forward to pull the girl back by her hair  
Naruto sighed and stretched out of the meditative position as the cat fight reached its peak and the girls began to wrestle between the desks. He finally gave up on what was turning into a hopeless endeavour when a brown haired boy with red markings and a dog on his head that he recognized as an Inuzuka began to whistle yelling crude comments and daring them to pull each others shirt off. Annoyed, Naruto slipped off of the desk and sat in the chair beside the brooding boy, knowing concentration would be impossible in this company. Finally, about five minutes later the pink haired girl came out as the clear winner of the scuffle, and stepping over the groaning form of her opponent began to make her way over in their direction. Her elated expression immediately turning into a scowl as she saw him, the girl stomped over in apparent anger.  
"Move it, you're in my seat" she commanded clearly expecting Naruto to immediately obey and becoming furious as he failed to react save for the smallest of twitches.  
"This seat was here before you registered and will exist even after you are gone, in which way can this seat be yours if it could belong to another just as easily?" Naruto asked pleasantly  
Not bothering to answer Naruto's somewhat vexing answer, Sakura pulled back her arm clearly intending to punch him when Iruka walked through the door.  
"Is something wrong Sakura?" Iruka asked, narrowed eyes on her arm which was still in position to punch Naruto.  
"No Iruka-sensei" Sakura mumbled clasping her hands behind her back and looking at her feet.  
"Then I suggest you get back to your seat" Iruka replied icily, pulling a clipboard from his bag.  
"Y-Yes sensei" Sakura stammered stopping only to throw another glare at Naruto before moving to an empty seat near the back of the class.  
"Thank god" the dark eyed boy muttered before focusing on the teacher, though Naruto noticed he glanced at him curiously every few minutes.  
"Okay class, we have a new student here with us today. I know he's a bit late but I can assure you that he is perfectly capable and seeing as we are one person short, will balance out our teams nicely. Naruto why don't you come up to the front and introduce yourself?"  
Naruto rose gracefully and silently made his way to the front of the class, his geta soundless against the hard tile floor. Turning to face the class Naruto spoke in a singsong voice that was reminiscent, almost of chirping birds.  
"Greetings. Those who know me know my name. Those who've met me can guess at my games. Those who see me see only truth and those that understand me earn absolute proof." Naruto grinned, smiling beautifully despite his disconcerting words.  
Naruto noticed Iruka, along with most of the class, including the pink haired one, shiver, although the brooding one while wary, mostly looked intrigued. Scanning the room thoughtfully Naruto spotted several other persons of note including the Inuzuka boy, a chubby boy with spirals painted over his cheeks, a lazy looking boy who eyed him attentively, an Aburame boy judging by the concealing clothes and a white eyed girl who blushed shyly as his gaze scanned over her. In fact he noticed that many of the girls in the room were blushing along with a few boys. Reasoning that it must be hotter in the room than he thought, Naruto used his masterful control over wind to lower the temperature of the air. Stopping to regard the consequent goosebumps rising on peoples arms with confusion.  
"T-that's fine Naruto, return to your seat" Iruka said pulling him out of his thoughts. Not bothering to answer, Naruto followed the instructions, sitting quietly through a speech on their importance as the next generation and new responsibilities until Iruka began to announce the teams.  
" Team Ten: Nara Shikamaru, Yamanaka Ino, Akimichi Chouji. Your jonin sensei will be Sarutobi Asuma. Team Nine is still in circulation. Team Eight: Hyuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, Aburame Shino. Your jonin sensei will be Yuhi Kurenai. Team Seven: Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura..."  
"Take that Ino-pig! True love always prevails!" Sakura cheered jumping up victoriously, only to sit down sheepishly as Iruka cleared his throat  
"And Uzumaki Naruto" Iruka continued, rattling off the members of several other teams before moving to leave the room. Stopping only to tell the children that their jonin sensei's would arrive to pick them up shortly, Iruka sent one last fearful glance at Naruto and he was gone.  
Several jonin sensei arrived over the next hour, leading away their new students in teams of three until only the newly instated team seven was left alone in the now empty room.  
Bored and knowing that these were the people he would be spending most of his career as a genin with Naruto took the time to evaluate his new teammates. Sakura Haruno was quite thin for a girl of her age and profession. Lacking muscle and having only minuscule amounts of chakra, he was certain that she had relied on book-smarts to make her way through the academy program, and indeed Naruto noted her forehead was a touch larger than average. She had pink hair and her eyes were of a bright emerald green which flashed with frustration and fear whenever she met his eyes. Judging that she was weak largely insignificant, Naruto turned his attention to Sasuke Uchiha. The more powerful of the duo by far, Sasuke had blue-black hair and eyes to match, with skin only a few shades darker than Naruto's own albino skin tone. Afflicted with a scowl Naruto mused to be permanently affixed to his face, one could almost feel arrogance saturating the air around him. He guessed that this one would be prideful and would likely have some sort of superiority/inferiority complex. Even now Sasuke attempted to meet his eyes with a fierce glare, obviously fighting to keep from dropping his gaze. Naruto knew that he unnerved, and in some cases even terrified people, though despite many hours of staring into the mirror he couldn't fathom why this was, and he respected Sasuke for being able to stand up to his unintentional intimidation, regardless of how he quivered when Naruto shifted slightly. Deciding that while it was possible that this was the worst team he could have gotten, the situation was still salvageable, Naruto sighed and settled in for a long wait, watching as they took up their chosen activities.

Many hours passed like this with Sasuke glaring moodily out the window, sakura staring at him adoringly and Naruto smiling to himself looking at seemingly nothing until a man finally stepped through the doorway. Strange looking even by shinobi standards, the man stood tall, his face covered by a black mask stretching over the lower half of his face and his Konoha head band which hung over his right eye. This left only a steely grey eye and gravity defying silver hair visible and lent a dangerous and powerful effect to his presence which was promptly ruined when sakura screeched  
"YOUR'RE LATE!"  
The man merely smiled, or so they guessed upon seeing the crinkles forming around his now upturned eye, maintaining a silence that was only interrupted when he bluntly stated  
"I hate you all." Causing Sasuke to glare and Sakura to growl in frustration. Naruto just hummed and calmly replied  
"The wolf should be careful when lost on the road of life. There are many twists and turns and beasts lurk behind the trees. The paths run with poison and wolves need be careful to step wisely."

Naruto remained unresponsive as his new team stared silently before turning back to their teacher.  
"And on that note, meet me at the roof" the man said cheerily before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.  
Without comment Sasuke approached the stairs, futilely trying to ignore the pink haired leech hanging off of his arm, until he noticed that they weren't being followed.  
"Naruto?" Sasuke questioned looking back, and was irked to find no one there. Sighing miserably and wishing that he had had the foresight to escape while he had the chance, Sasuke resigned himself to his fate and began the long trek up to the roof, squeals accompanying his every step.

Minutes later Sasuke finally made it to the roof top, having turned down at least five bids for a date, to find Kakashi waiting for them.  
"Where's Naruto" Kakashi asked frowning  
" Where aren't i?" jumping slightly they looked to see Naruto sitting on the corner of the roof, legs dangling over the side, looking for all the world as if he were a statue.  
"And you didn't tell me you were here... Why?" Kakashi asked, eyebrow raised  
"You didn't ask" Naruto replied looking as if it were a perfectly reasonable excuse.  
"Okay then" Kakashi continued, intent on ignoring the peculiarities of his new student "Introductions, tell me your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies and dreams. Brooder you're up first." Kakashi said pointing towards Sasuke who gave him a dirty look in return.  
"My name is Uchiha Sasuke. I don't like anything, I hate everything, my hobby is training and I don't have a goal but rather an ambition, to kill a certain man." He muttered darkly, shrinking into himself slightly as Sakura squealed and stared at him hungrily.  
'As expected' Kakashi thought before turning his attention to the girl.  
"Bubblegum, you're next"  
With a weak imitation of Sasuke's glare Sakura began her introduction.  
"I'm Haruno Sakura and I like..." she stopped to look longingly at Sasuke "I dislike Ino-pig and Naruto-baka" she said glaring at said person, "My hobbies are..." Another look "My dreams are..." She stops, squealing and blushing cherry red while Sasuke shifts uncomfortably and discreetly edges away.  
'Great, a fangirl' Kakashi sighs, mentally rolling his eyes.  
'This would have been difficult enough with just the Uchiha and the fangirl but with Naruto in the mix this is going to be damn near impossible. Everyone knows Sasuke is a flight risk. How the hell am I going to make him put down roots now? If the fangirl doesn't scare him away, Naruto probably will. Well if nothing else I have a better chance of winning the bet and even if I can't I might be able to convince Naruto to tell me where Hokage-sama hid the book. He seems to know damn near everything anyways. If I can only get him to stop speaking in riddles I might actually have a shot.' Kakashi thought drooling at the thought of the ultra-rare volume of smut.  
"Naruto, I'll be doing the introducing for you since you're riddles give me a headache." Kakashi explains to the blond and taking his lack of response as assent continues.  
"This is Naruto Uzumaki" Kakashi says to Sasuke and Sakura "No one knows what he likes, dislikes or if he has any hobbies. In fact nobody knows where he lives or if he even sleeps so if you can gather solid evidence of either of these, I'll reward you with one of my signature jutsu. Anyways, no one knows if he has any dreams and while we know that he is extremely powerful no one is sure exactly where he ranks. He also has a bloodline but that is for him to explain if he chooses to." In tandem Sasuke and Sakura turn to Naruto expectedly only to be met with silence. With an air of disappointment Sakura asks  
"What about you sensei?"  
"Well" Kakashi begins "My name is Hatake Kakashi. I have no intention of telling you my likes, I dislike a few things, I have hobbies and as for my dream..." He giggles perversely.  
"Hmmm? I thought your dream was to engage in a 24 hour orgy with at least a fifth of Konoha's kunoichi and Umino Iruka on top of a pile of Icha Icha, have it video taped and for Jiraiya to use it as a scene in the first ever Icha Icha movie." Naruto asks confusedly.  
Silence.  
"Iruka-sensei?" Sakura ventures, uncertain.  
"Kakashi's bisexual." Naruto clarifies.  
"Ahh." Sakura makes a noise of understanding.  
She and Sasuke wince while kakashi glares at naruto.  
"Naruto remember that conversation we had a few weeks ago about personal information and what should be kept secret?" Kakashi questions exasperatedly  
"Yeah why?"  
"That was one of those things."  
"Oh... Sorry."  
Kakashi sighs. "Don't worry about it."  
"Anyways we meet in training ground seven at this time tomorrow for your genin test." Kakashi announces eyes twinkling with mischief.  
"But sensei..." Sakura says hesitantly "We already passed the test."  
"Nope." Kakashi counters, grinning like the cat that ate the canary "That test was just to weed out the hopeless cases. Jonins give their own little tests just to make sure their teams are ready. And for amusement of course, can't have a bunch of bored jonins wandering around the village, who knows the destruction we'd cause." Kakashi explains laughing ominously "Tomorrow we'll decide whether or not you'll be going back to the academy or not. Who knows you might be dropped from the program altogether!" He pauses waiting for that to sink in.  
"Well see you guys later then!" Their new sensei adds cheerfully before vanishing in another swirl of leaves.  
Sakura stares at the spot at which he disappears for a few seconds before turning to Naruto, intent on getting details about his bloodline, only to find him gone.  
"Figures." She mutters turning to Sasuke to ask him on a date  
'This time I know he'll definitely say yes' she thinks, resolving to remain optimistic in her quest for true love, only to find him gone as well.  
"I feel so alone" she mumbles dejectedly, lingering to lie on the roof for a full minute before finally making her way home.

AN: any better ideas for a dojutsu name? Send it over! Every time i try to make a dojutsu name it never translates right. Is there a specific way to do this?

Who do you want naruto to end up with?

REVIEW!


	2. A Vision of the Future

Whoever asked for a longer chapter, know that it is now indeed twice as long! as for everyone else THAT IS THE POWER OF CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM!

Also as for those people who want more chapters faster, i might be persuaded to write more frequently if people gave me reviews on my challenges. Adopt if you like!  
Again, visit - www. Ashabird .tumblr .com - if you want faster chapters (it wouldn't show the link if there weren't spaces between the words so just type it out)

Vote at the bottom!

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Sakura  
The next morning sakura gradually climbed into wakefulness courtesy of her blaring alarm clock. Covering yawning lips with her hand, as was the ladylike thing to do, she proceeded to rise from her bedsheets and shuffle into the washroom where she would begin the morning routine which had changed little over the years. Smiling brightly at her reflection, the young girl proceeded to brush the hair, which retained the colour of her namesake, until it gleamed stopping only to devote her attention to her face and teeth before skipping back into the bedroom.  
"Sakura, dear are you up?" Haruno Mebuki called from the first floor, now preparing to preform her own morning routine.  
"Yes mama, I'm leaving now" she called back. Not pausing as she shrugged into her usual tights and red dress Sakura ran downstairs and, sparing a glance towards the kitchen, out the door, accompanied by the growling of her empty stomach.  
Sprinting through the streets, eager to be the first one at the training ground and make a good impression on the teacher, it was a mere 15 minutes later that she arrived at the aforementioned training ground seven only to find no one there. Thinking that she might be in the wrong training ground sakura scanned her surroundings, which appeared to consist of a somewhat large clearing in the woods, in the midst of which stood three wooden training posts, lined up side by side, a lake and an odd square stone which appeared to be inscribed, likely with a story or history of some kind. Reassuring herself that she was in the right place after all, upon seeing a sign designating the location of the correct training ground and looking confusedly at her watch which indicated that it was indeed 8:00 in the morning, Sakura reasoned that she was 30 minutes early. Something must have come up for her new sensei ...again. After all, all of the other teachers she'd had, had always been early by at _least_ half an hour. Settling under a nearby tree for what would turn out to be a very, _very_ long wait, sakura stretched out and kept her eyes peeled for any signs of her Sasuke-kun's approach.  
'_You don't love him you know.'_ The entity which she had dubbed, Inner Sakura stated sadly.  
'Shush what do you know' Sakura thought, annoyed that her pursuit, and eventual conquest, of Sasuke had once again been interrupted by less than reputable sources and pushed Inner Sakura back, deep into the recesses of her mind.  
"Why do you push back against the waters of your reflection? Are you so unwilling to see the truth of yourself?" Questioned a rather melodic voice. Hurriedly standing and looking around, alarmed that she hadn't heard someone approach, Sakura relaxed slightly as she found no one to be there. Convinced that it had been only her imagination, she was about to turn back to her wait when the same voice once again broke into her thoughts.  
"Lady of twin souls, why do you flee from your reflection?" Looking up, Sakura flinched as she found Naruto, once again in lotus position, somehow sticking to the underside of a branch far, far above her head.  
"H-hey Naruto..." Sakura stuttered staring intently at the ground as if at any moment it would burst apart to reveal the escape she was looking for. Realizing that he was indeed upside down and that should he fall, she would be right below to break his landing, the pink haired girl hastily scurried to the side and glanced up only to find no one there. Reaching up to scratch her head but halting her hand as she remembered that it would muss her hair, Sakura again sat below the tree, contrary to the complaints of her angrily growling stomach which demanded that she find a restaurant and settle in for a long stay.  
'Maybe it was a hallucination?' She wondered, sighing. All thoughts of her impending loss of sanity were thrown to the wind however as Sasuke emerged from the trees.  
"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura called waving cheerily, oblivious to the fear that was growing in the young mans eyes before it was carefully hidden behind his usual scowl.  
"Hnn." he grunted

* * *

Normal  
2 Hours later Kakashi finally arrived, meandering up to the hungry teenagers as if he had not kept them waiting ridiculously past the appointed meeting time.  
"Sup." he greeted raising a hand listlessly.  
"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura screeched, oblivious as her teammate and teacher cringed.  
"It seems I am!" Kakashi said seemingly astonished, adopting a cheerfully surprised expression as if he had discovered a puppy on his doorstep and not two irritable and hungry teenagers.  
"Where's Naruto?" He asked, apparently noticing, for the first time, that they were missing a member.  
"Nowhere and everywhere and nowhere again." The familiar voice replied, echoing down soothingly upon the trio.  
Looking up to see that Naruto was once again sitting lotus position upside down on the branch, the Genin flinched in surprise as he stood and walked down the trunk of the tree to join them.  
"So... You know how to treewalk?" Kakashi asked casually, despite having the feeling that Naruto knew he was digging for information.  
Smiling amusedly as if he knew something Kakashi didn't he countered  
"Is that what you call it?"  
"Yes"  
"Then yes" saying in a way that clearly stated this was the end of the conversation.  
Kakashi sighed and pulled two bells and a small timer, of the variety which would typically be found in a kitchen, out of his pocket.  
"I have two bells. Whoever gets one from me passes, if you can't get a bell you get sent back to the academy for another year. You have until 12:00 after which if I'm feeling generous I _may_ give you another chance. Simple right?" He explained simultaneously placing the set timer next to the training posts and tying the two bells to his belt. Pausing to enjoy the shocked, and in Sakura's case despondent, looks on two of the children's faces. Kakashi waited for their loud exclamations to die down before yelling  
"START!"  
Watching as the two begin to dash into the cover of the forest together to conceal themselves, they all froze, dumbfounded as Naruto announced  
"I win" holding up two identical golden bells which chimed softly in the breeze.  
"Naruto you need _these_ bells" Kakashi clarified gesturing towards the bells tied to his belt.  
"But I do have those bells. Or at least the bells you think you have." Naruto explained as Kakashi's bells erupted into a puff of smoke to reveal two small pebbles tied to the jonin's belt with string.  
"And how exactly did you obtain these bells?" Kakashi asked in an deceptively disinterested manner, though his eyes remained sharp and watchful.  
"I went into your house last night and took the bells from your nightstand" Naruto answered equally disinterestedly, walking back up the tree with the clear intention of resuming his meditation, oblivious to the incredulous looks he was receiving from his teammates.  
"You broke into my house and took the bells from my nightstand, _while I was sleeping?_" Kakashi asked, a little creeped out by his new Genin's behaviour.  
"Yes" Naruto replied, having settled on his tree branch, apparently unsure as to why Kakashi was persisting on making such a big deal over what he thought shouldn't have been an issue.  
"Naruto" kakashi sighed, eyes closed and rubbing at his forehead to ward off the impending headache,  
"Most, no all, people find it at least somewhat disturbing when someone breaks into their house and takes something without their knowledge, especially when they are sleeping."  
"So... I shouldn't do it?" Naruto ventures, a touch confused by what he considered a fact, irrelevant to the current situation  
"I'll make this a little clearer for you. Never break into my house again. Ever." Kakashi stated firmly, eyes never leaving Naruto's own icy gaze.  
"What about other people?" The demon container asked, uncertainly wondering if this would be prohibited wherever he went  
"I don't care about other people, so do whatever you want I guess." Kakashi said diverting his attention to a small orange book which he had pulled from his pouch now that any future break in attempts had been averted while ignoring Sasuke and Sakura's glares.  
"Well, you two fail, guess you'll be going back to the academy for another year." The silver haired Jonin added, twisting to face the aforementioned almost-genin. Raising his brow as Naruto tossed a bell to each of his would have been teammates kakashi turned back to him, waiting for an explanation.  
"They need this more than I do." Leaving it at that Naruto waited patiently for what he knew would be their reaction to the statement.  
"I didn't earn it. Naruto deserves the bell more than me." With that Sasuke threw his bell at Kakashi's feet and waited for whatever would be the outcome of the strange events which had come to pass.  
Sakura sighed looking wistfully at the bell clenched tightly in her hand before throwing her own at Kakashi's feet as well.  
'_You know this is the right thing to do'_  
'I know' and with Inner Sakura's encouragement sakura spoke up as well  
"Naruto did all of the work. Besides theres always next year." She concurred, confident that she was making the right choice.  
"Well then" Kakashi rumbled dangerously, towering the now cowering genin with a foreboding expression  
"You pass!"  
"What." Sasuke stated flatly  
"WHY?!" Sakura screeched tugging at her hair until it was mussed beyond recognition of the carefully coiled and tended mass she had arrived with that morning. Naruto just smiled.  
"The point of the test was to display teamwork. When Naruto gave up the bells and you two chose to fail together, rather than leave him behind, you showed an understanding of the teamwork that has made Konoha the most powerful of the hidden villages today. Congratulations team seven, you are all officially Genin!" Kakashi said with a cheshire grin  
"But we didn't do anything!" Sakura protested, already back in control and trying to smooth her matted hair  
"Do you want the pass or not?" Kakashi asked, now sounding annoyed  
"But-"  
"We'll take it" Sasuke interrupted gagging Sakura with a speedy application of his hand to her still gaping mouth. Sakura, likely having forgotten what she had been about to protest, seemed to melt into mush, turning bright red and bleeding slightly from her nose. Seeing her reaction the dark haired, brooding boy quickly drew back his hand and backed away, leaving the girl to her undoubtedly perverse thoughts. Kakashi, on the other hand, was wondering if the Hokage would allow him to foist his team off on another Jounin. Genma maybe. He would make a good teacher. He sighed. It was probably too late anyways.  
"Okay, meet me here tomorrow morning at nine and we'll take out first mission." Kakashi said already walking away.  
"Sasuke-kun would you like to go on a date with me?" Sakura asked, blushing in what she considered a becoming manner, only to see that once again he was no where to be found.  
Groaning piteously, she turned to leave but froze as the singsong voice she was becoming well acquainted with, called down from the upper boundaries of the tree.  
"Lady of twin souls, so conflicted, so fragile. She is always there never mind that you are not willing to see her. Between yourselves you maintain balance. Dear lady, to not seek to become less than you are." Naruto said, falling from his position on the underside of the tree branch only to right himself just before hitting the ground.  
"You know? About...her?" Sakura asked fearfully, referring to her other self somewhat reluctantly.  
"Yes." He replied with a look of serenity and utter calm  
"Please naruto you can't tell anyone! I-I mean I... Please, its a secret and m-my mother would..."  
"Hush, dear lady" the effeminate boy replied interrupting her fearful rambling with a single finger to her lips.  
"I will be your confidante in this and much else. You need not be afraid." Naruto said smiling slyly.  
"W-well okay, thank you - I suppose..." The anxious girl mumbled picturing the way her mother, the illustrious Mebuki Haruno of the civilian council, would react if she knew her daughter was anything less than was befitting of a councilwoman's daughter.  
'_Forget about her, you know the only reason she wants you to act like this is to make herself look better in front of the village and the council.'_  
'Quiet, you know mama loves me. She wouldn't tell me to be this way if it wasn't the right thing for me to do." Sakura thought quieting her other self  
"It is time for us to take our leave" Naruto stated certainly before turning away and walking into the thick underbrush of the surrounding forest  
"Yeah I suppose it is" Sakura replied to no one in particular staring up at the noonday sun before beginning to make her way home.

* * *

Kakashi  
Walking away without waiting for an answer, I turned the bend of the path, disappearing from their line of sight. Without pause I jumped into the trees and circled around, unknown to them, so I could study what had unexpectedly become my new team for a while longer. Staying hidden in the shadows of the thick foliage, I watched with amusement as Sasuke snuck away before Sakura could ask him for a date, as she inevitably did, only to find him not there. Knowing that the Haruno woman would raise a shitstorm if she found a single bruise on her daughter and Naruto was probably as strong as myself, if not stronger, I resigned myself to concentrating my efforts solely on the Uchiha heir.  
'Well better follow him' I thought and was about to do so when something interesting finally happened. Rather than shunshin after my recently departed student I watched with surprise as Naruto approached the newest pink haired girl under my tutelage. Seeing them converse I mentally debated on whether or not to listen in.  
'Eavesdrop on them and have Naruto know and possibly hold a grudge or miss something potentially important' I mulled over the problem. Seeing the fear on Sakura's face I quickly directed chakra to my ears to listen in only to hear Naruto say goodbye in his own strange way. Watching as he disappeared into the forest and Sakura made to return home, I also turned to leave only to come face to face with the boy himself.  
"Hey Naruto how are you?" I said breezily trying to play it off as if I hadn't just been caught trying to eavesdrop on my new students  
"Well" He replied eyes never leaving my own  
"What no cryptic comments today?" I said slightly irritated  
"Not at the moment"  
"Okay..."  
"Kakashi" Naruto stated in a serious tone of voice "You will not eavesdrop on any matter between Sakura and I, nor will you intercede. In fact let us go as far as to agree that the same will apply to Sasuke."  
"Besides the fact that you are being unusually, if not disturbingly direct about this, why would I agree to do this?" I asked cocking my head curiously  
"You are all so short sited. You happen to be one of the best I'll admit but in the end even you often fail to manage to see even a foot in front of your face. The villagers fear me. All of you do, even you to some degree. People often look upon all of the things i know with awe, the secrets I see. Do you really think that it comes without a price?" The whiskered boy mused as if there were no one there other than himself  
"That's nice and everything but you didn't answer my question." I reminded, visible eye narrowed  
"You don't know yet but you will. You believe that this is your chance at redemption, your chance to make things right to your long dead teammates but it is not. That circle will not be repeating itself. This will become so much more than anyone ever could have imagined. I am merely the harbinger Kakashi, you cannot stop this." Hearing the snap of a twig I stifled my response, stopping to scan our surroundings for any listeners. Finding no one I turned back only to find myself alone. So much for direct.  
Sighing I leaned back against a tree cradling my head in a hand.  
'Why can't he ever prophetize something good? Is it too much to ask for his prophecies not to forecast our doom and eventual painful death every other week?' Growling in frustration I kicked a fallen log and stalked out of the woods into the village. I would think on this later. For now I would just get my report to the Hokage and get home.

Later in the Hokage's office  
"So Kakashi how did they do?" The old Hokage asked, lighting a pipe from behind his desk  
"Well... I suppose" Kakashi answered uncertainly, massaging his forehead in hopes of staving off yet another headache  
"You suppose?" Hiruzen asked, gesturing for further details  
"I never actually got to test them you see..."  
"Uh huh" he drawled, clearly unimpressed  
Despite his reluctance to admit that anyone had gotten the one up on a former anbu captain, the infamous sharingan no kakashi no less, Kakashi could see by the angle of the Hokage's expectantly raised eyebrow that he wasn't going to take no for an answer.  
" It turns out Naruto broke into my apartment and took the bells from my nightstand last night. While I was sleeping." He elaborated grudgingly  
"And how far were you sleeping from the area in which the theft took place?"  
"About..." Kakashi coughed, toeing the carpet sheepishly "Five feet Hokage-sama"  
"Interesting" the old man murmured, not for the first time, mulling over the mystery that was Uzumaki Naruto.  
"So... Does this mean I won't be punished Hokage-sama?" Kakashi ventured, treading lightly on the issue  
The Hokage sighed "Honestly Kakashi, I don't think I would know naruto was in my house if he was standing even a foot away from me. I truly believe that he could singlehandedly infiltrate every building in Konoha and we wouldn't ever realize it. It's one of the things that keeps me up at night." Pausing to tap out his pipe, he blew lazy smoke rings into the air before continuing  
"Naruto has been completely alone for the vast majority of his life and despite knowing possibly every secret of value in the elemental countries, he has little to no idea of how people interact. In fact, I would even go as far as to suspect that his bloodline has driven him, at least a little bit, mad and that this is what drives him to speak in riddles."  
"We were talking earlier Hokage-sama and he mentioned... a price? He had to pay for knowing what he did?"  
"Ah, it seems I was right on the mark then." Sarutobi said, with a distinctly unhappy smile  
"What do you mean?" Kakashi asked curiously  
"As you know, every bloodline exacts a price on its users. The Byakugan does not call for much of a price as it is the taijutsu style that accompanies it, and not the dojutsu itself that make it truly dangerous, however it is one of the few exceptions to the rule. The Mokuton made it near impossible for the user to use any element besides earth and water, The Sharingan brings blindness upon the user, as you know, and I suppose one could count the laziness that continues to plague each new generation of Nara as a price also. Naruto's gift is one greater than many and as such it extracts a greater price. Besides what I believe to be slight insanity, it is due to this gift that naruto will likely never master any sort of taijutsu. While his body is not weak per say, nor fragile by any means, Naruto is incapable of exhibiting the strength that the others of his age group surely will in a few years. He makes up for it with his speed and prowess in ninjutsu, fuuinjutsu and kenjutsu, of course, but it is still quite the disadvantage."  
"Hokage-sama" Kakashi began, nervous at the prospect of angering the man who looked at Naruto as a grandson "I believe he is planning something"  
"What do you mean?" The Sandaime asked, tucking his pipe in the drawer of his desk  
"As you know I didn't have much of an opportunity to measure the groups potential, so I naturally decided to watch them for a bit longer so as to gauge their characters better. I had hidden in the trees and was about to follow Sasuke when Naruto began to talk to Sakura. I don't know what he said but she looked afraid. I as I was trying to listen in that he snuck up behind me. He told me not to interfere, that something was going to happen and that I couldn't stop it."  
Gazing wistfully at the smiling portrait of the fourth for a moment the Sarutobi turned his attention back to Kakashi and sighed  
"Just keep an eye on him for now. Naruto has never, with the exception of those who actively try to sabotage him, sought to harm anyone. There is obviously more going on than we can see at this time. The best I can do is move up his appointment with Ibiki to see if he will disclose any new prophecies to us."  
"Yes Hokage-sama" knowing that this was the best they could do at the time, Kakashi bowed his head briefly in respect and slipped out of the window, yawning tiredly. It looked like he would be going back to his apartment to sleep, but first he had some traps to set.

* * *

Sasuke  
Sasuke listened intently as Kakashi told the team to meet him there at the same time tomorrow for their first mission. He was in no mood the deal with Haruno begging him for a date, or any fan girl for that matter, and he just wanted to get home, feeling oddly drained despite hardly doing anything. Tensing with readiness the last word was hardly out of his new sensei's mouth before he was gone. Speeding down the path to the village, Sasuke ran, only slowing as he approached his house. Coming to a stop before the grandiose double gates which marked the beginnings of the Uchiha district, Sasuke pushed one side open slightly, slipping in and locking the doors behind him. Breathing deeply he readied himself before starting the long walk through the Uchiha district to the house of the now deceased clan head and his father. He vividly remembered walking down this exact street all those years ago.

He had come home from the academy. The gates were left open and he ran inside. They had gotten the class rankings earlier that day and he was eager to show his father his results. He was at the top of the top of the class and he knew that this time, father would be proud of him. He might even smile! Sasuke grinned just at the thought. He didn't notice at first, he was so excited, the dark puddles pooling all over the street. Sasuke paused confused, only now noticing the complete and utter silence. Scared now, he ran for what seemed like hours, calling for someone, anyone, to help him. No one came. He fell numerous times, numb to the pain and finally arrived at his home, stained with the blood of his clan. That was the night everything changed. Kaa-san. Gone. Tou-san. Gone. Nii-san...

Shaking himself out of memories best left forgotten, Sasuke walked through the empty streets. Fighting off panic and desperately trying to ignore the deafening silence, he finally arrived at the empty clan house, sweating and shaking slightly. Not bothering to eat anything despite his earlier state of hunger, Sasuke headed straight to his bedroom stripping as he went. Entering his room clad only in a set of dark blue silk boxers, sasuke dropped face first into the bed and would have fallen immediately into sleep if he hadn't been disturbed by... a breeze? Looking up Sasuke stifled a shriek and subsequent dive under the covers upon meeting the eyes of one Uzumaki Naruto. Staring quietly, seemingly ignorant that Sasuke was half naked beneath the covers, the icy blond cocked his head slightly as if confused by his reaction.  
"How did you get in here?" Sasuke growled angrily, furious that someone, anyone, had the gall to break into the ancestral home of the Uchiha  
"The wind acknowledges no barriers" his uninvited visitor whispered in an eerily empty voice  
"What are you doing here?" Sasuke snarled unnerved by how Naruto had crept into his room without a sound  
"I come bearing gifts" this halted the last Uchiha in his tracks. A gift from somebody this powerful meant something that could potentially help him defeat his brother. Sasuke grumbled but nonetheless sat up, dark blue bedsheets pooling around his waist.  
"Can you turn around so I can get dressed?" Sliding out of bed as naruto complied, he made his way over to his closet and pulled on an outfit identical to the one he was wearing that afternoon. Sitting back on his bed, sasuke tensed and again forced himself to relax when the bed dipped as Naruto sat beside him.  
"Okay, what's this gift?" He demanded impatiently when the palerer boy made no move to speak  
"As you know I have a bloodline" Naruto stated, watching as Sasuke nodded in affirmation  
"I will not disclose my full range of abilities to you, however I will tell you that as a part of this ability I can see the future." At this Sasuke's head shot up and he glared at Naruto angrily. It was he that needed this power to defeat his brother not some creepy... It was at this he was stuck, he couldn't actually think of a word that was enough to describe Naruto. He was just about to voice this opinion when a sharp look made him reconsider.  
"Do not be jealous, my power would actually impede your quest to bring your brother misery and death. I can promise you it would be impossible to concentrate on killing Itachi if you spent all hours of the day writhing in pain, tormented by what you couldn't change and watching yourself slowly spiral downwards into insanity." At this Sasuke simultaneously flinched, once again unnerved by the eerily detailed description, and relaxed seeing sense in his words. It was then that it came to him that he had the next best thing, something that his brother never would. He had a teammate who could see the future! He could know exactly where Itachi was at any given time! He could gain vast wealth, fame, political power! He could take advantage of any situation before it happened! And best of all no one would be able to stop him because he would know before they even tried! Lost in fantasies of ultimate power, Sasuke was jostled out of his daydreams as the temperature suddenly plunged rapidly. Shivering and wrapping his arms around himself, Sasuke looked up to see Naruto staring at him, this time dangerously. Paralysed as killing intent flooded the room, Sasuke watched with dread, his breath visible in the still plummeting temperatures. Quivering slightly as he tried desperately to move, he crumbled to the floor heaving as the oppressive killing intent abruptly disappeared. Unwilling to show further weakness, Sasuke recovered quickly and again sat beside naruto on the bed, if only a few inches further away. Message received. Naruto Uzumaki was not a pawn and was not a person to be trifled with. That did not mean there was no hope however. If Sasuke couldn't manipulate him Perhaps they could work out a kind of partnership. As if knowing what the dark eyed boy was thinking Naruto eyed him exasperatedly.  
"As I was saying," here Naruto paused shooting Sasuke a vaguely annoyed look "I am in possession of the ability to see the future and I've decide to gift you with one of my visions concerning you." At this sasuke smiled though it was quickly covered up. Almost bouncing with eagerness he rummaged through his nightstand, grabbing a nearby pen and pad of paper, and watched with bright eyes as naruto opened his mouth.  
"The raven may fly one of two winds. One consumed by darkness, leads him deep beneath the earth, into the territory of the snake. Another riddled with pockets of light and shadow, will lead him far above the clouds into the light of the sun. The raven must chase the tail of the errant weasel for only he holds the answers to his questions. And so it lies on the shoulders of the last. The betrayer in blood but not in bone. The house of traitors to fall or find light again." He finished watching as Sasuke scribbled down the last of it.  
"That was... extremely cryptic." Sasuke said making a visible effort not to sound frustrated  
"Be grateful" Naruto told him "It is very rare that I choose to offer someone any inkling of what their future entails and I assure you that those who are not grateful to receive such a priceless gift from me do not receive the chance again." Biting back his usual arrogant, and extremely ungrateful, response that as the last Uchiha he could,and would, seize anything he desired, Sasuke quickly thanked him. Realizing that knowledge of his future was a valuable commodity, one not readily available even to the last Uchiha and one that was hinged completely on Naruto's cooperation, Sasuke resolved that somehow he would have to make Naruto dependant on him so that he could not deny Sasuke, and in doing so gain a lifetimes supply of unlimited knowledge. Sighing naruto continued  
"For reasons you do not yet understand, I will tell you two things" Sasuke nodded eager for any help he could get in solving the riddle.  
"One, you will have to choose very soon." At this sasuke stilled, nodding seriously, already contemplating the ramifications of this piece of information  
"And two, there is a pedophile waiting for you on the dark path" paling dramatically, Sasuke again nodded, this time rapidly, thanking him profusely with his eyes. Understanding how difficult it was for the Uchiha to compromise his pride even slightly, Naruto just gave a nod of understanding and stood. With one last thoughtful look he was gone in a powerful gust of wind, leaving the last Uchiha to his schemes.

* * *

Sakura  
Sakura began to make her way back to the village. Tired and aching, she dragged her feet through the streets until she arrived at a two story, western styled home. Convinced that Naruto was some sort of parasite that sucked the energy out of you until all you wanted was to sleep for a decade, she wondered if her new teammates were feeling the effects also. Elsewhere Kakashi and Sasuke sneezed. Opening the door quietly in hopes of sneaking into her bed without any interruption, she moaned quietly as the Haruno matriarch called  
"Sakura, come here for a moment please" knowing that her mother undoubtedly expected nothing less than her immediate compliance, Sakura sighed before adopting a ladylike posture which would not betray her all consuming exhaustion  
"Yes mama" she replied reluctantly entering the adjacent room from which the voice had originated. Looking around curiously as she entered the room, Sakura as per usual tried to spot any noticeable differences in the decor. This was the area in which the elder Haruno received visitors and Sakura had found that her mother liked to change it every so often if only to keep people on their toes. It was the closest thing to a hobby she had besides plotting out various grabs for political power. This time she found that there was a new vase on the shelf and that the walls were of a few shades of green lighter than they were a week ago. The only permanent fixture in the room was a sturdy solid oak desk and a few uncomfortable looking chairs, one of which Sakura sat in now. Waiting patiently as her mother eyed her appraisingly Sakura eyed Mebuki in return, though somewhat more hesitantly than the manner in which her mother did. Mebuki Haruno was stern looking woman who besides the brown colour of her eyes, thinner lips and squarer shape of the jaw looked much as Sakura would herself in a few years. She still had a somewhat lean figure, left over from the days of her youth, which she maintained with careful dieting, a practice which she also pushed onto her daughter. What truly set them apart however, despite their obvious similarities, was that certain prideful tilt to her chin, an arrogant spark in her eyes that immediately differentiated her from her daughter. Obviously lost in thought, sakura, despite this, didn't flinch as the interrogation began.  
"Sakura dear, how was your day?" The elder Haruno asked in a voice sweet enough to make her teeth ache

'Bitch' Inner Sakura grumbled  
"It went very well" Sakura replied, ignoring her more aggressive counterpart "I have passed the exam and am now officially a Genin." She affirmed with a smile, maintaining a respectful and undeniably submissive demeanour  
"And your teammates?"  
"I have been placed in team seven with Uchiha-san, Hatake-san and Uzumaki-san" she illustrated watching as her mother narrowed her eyes thoughtfully  
Mebuki, who had been in a less than forgiving mood earlier due to the Sandaime's unyielding refusal to accept the civilian council's input in the formation of the Genin teams, was quite frankly stunned  
_'Sakura is on the same team as Uchiha-sama, Hatake Kakashi and the demon spawn? Not only could I gain influence over one of the most powerful clans in Konoha, but also a possible Hokage successor and the only seer in the Elemental Nations besides the priestess of Demon Country! '_ nearly drooling at the thought and mentally raising her most recent approximation of her daughter's value, Mebuki cleared her throat  
"Have you been making any progress with Uchiha-sama?"  
"No" Sakura mumbled, wilting visibly "Every time I try to get close to him he pushes me away no matter what I do, but I was thinking that maybe I could earn his respect if I were to train and get stronger..."  
"Have I not taught you better than this?!" The Haruno matriarch interrupted harshly, watching with satisfaction as her daughter cringed back under her glare "Such behaviour is not befitting of the future wife of the Uchiha clan head. If he pushes you away its because you aren't trying hard enough!" By the end of this sentence Mebuki's screeching had risen to a whole new octave and Sakura was in tears. Seeing this, she took several deep breaths to calm herself and spoke again in a soothing voice.  
"Sakura, you have been blessed with a great chance to bring honour to both your family and to the leaf village. You are meant to be more than an ordinary shinobi. Remember that you are not meant for menial fieldwork and missions, but to marry the Uchiha heir and assist him in reviving the clan. I have the highest expectations of you and I expect you to fulfill them. Try harder to gain Uchiha-sama's favor and Hatake and Uzumaki's as well if at all possible. You know I would never ask you to do this if it wasn't the best thing for you right?" Mebuki asked with the careful application of a wise, motherly smile.  
"Yes mother" Sakura agreed happy now that she knew that her mother wasn't angry with her  
"Good" the older Haruno replied with eyes that were now cold and somewhat disinterested "There is a salad for you in the kitchen. When you are finished go upstairs, complete your usual beauty regimen and go to bed, we don't want dark circles marring your eyes now do we?" Not bothering to answer the clearly rhetorical question, Sakura left the room, quietly closing the door behind her. Seeing that her daughter was gone, Mebuki quickly grabbed the office phone and dialled the well worn buttons which made up the number of the civilian council. There were plans to be made.

* * *

Naruto  
Leaving the Uchiha clan home with a great gust of wind, Naruto's eyes glinted with displeasure as he appeared in front of the forest of death. Not only were both of his new teammates seeking to use him for their own gain, but now the civilian council was getting involved as well. The only bright point he could find was that now that he was a shinobi he could legally kill in self defence. Despite the civilian population's general fear of him, mobs still popped up now and again and it was often inconvenient to have to lose the trail of so many people at the same time. _'It won't last forever'_ he thought, reminding himself of the vision he had received involving his new teammates, which had depicted a potential future that he personally thought...intriguing. It was only due to the chance of the future coming to fruition that he had bothered to make the effort to be so direct with them despite the jumble of visions and possibilities in his head that made it difficult even at the best of times. His first impression of his teammates hadn't been a particularly fond one but now that he knew of their reasons he could see why they would turn out this way. It didn't make it any less of an annoyance however, and hopefully he could help them grow out of some bad habits before it was too late. Striding confidently into the deadly forest Naruto jumped from tree to tree, traveling unchallenged through the terrain until he arrived in the s-class sector of the woods. Entering a small out of the way cave, hand ablaze with chakra, it wasn't long before he arrived at a oddly flat surfaced and uniform dead end. Carefully carved into the entirety of the wall was a rather large and conspicuous seal, depicting a pattern of several irregular swirling gusts of wind all originating from a full moon carved into the centre of the wall and entwined with the same strange seals sown into Naruto's yakuta. Placing his hands onto the wall and applying chakra until the seal glowed a strange silver blue colour, it was with another almost deafening gust of wind that he was gone.

Appearing in a violent whirlwind that quickly dissipated into nothingness, Naruto found himself in the midst of a clearing, which was now growing dark and surrounded by thick woodlands. Upon discovering his bloodline many years ago Naruto, using the knowledge he had gained, had spent quite a bit of time creating this small pocket dimension which he now called home. It was after months of development and continual small changes that he could finally say that he had achieved perfection, a literal paradise on earth. Surrounded by hundreds of acres of magnificently large and flowering trees was a large clearing filled with tall grasses that were at this very moment swaying in the breeze. Dominating the vast majority of the clearing was a large mansion styled after the clan districts of Konoha in a traditional Japanese design separated from the tall grasses by a vibrant garden and a rather large pair of gates. The mansion itself, surrounded by a enormous garden in perpetual bloom, had a large hotspring hidden behind the structure which sprung directly from the ground. Far in the distance one could see a mountain, running from which was a stream that one could see eventually wound it's way through the property into a nearby lake. Throughout the land were small pockets of cleared land which hid such treasures as cave systems, waterfalls and orchards of every fruit. There was even adjacent clearings for various types of poisonous, healing and culinary herbs, not many of which were easily found. In fact if anyone were to ever find their way into this dimension, they would find that the vast majority of the plants and wildlife were extremely rare or considered extinct. Naruto had often mused that if he ever brought an Aburame to this place they might die of a heart attack from the dozens of extinct species of insects they would find practically around every corner. It was a good thing he decided, that he had ensured no one would ever find their way to this location. Aside from the fact that he was the only one that knew of the seal, much less could activate it, as an added security measure he had inscribed a large smooth rock about the side of his hand with various seal combinations and had buried it far beneath the earth of training ground 44. It was set to release a timed and extremely powerful genjutsu of him entering and leaving the forest every sunrise and sunset, when in reality he left and entered at all hours of the day far more stealthily and from a different location. He didn't even have to go to the market. With the variety of fruits, vegetables, wildlife and herbs growing around his home he doubted there was anything he could find at the market that he couldn't a mere five minutes away from his even had a large rice field nearby where the grains were collected by the surrounding seals and transported to a room in the mansion that was specially intended for such a purpose. Naruto had discovered a few short years ago, that having a hobby was a great way to distract himself from the visions of the future that were constantly, and painfully, flowing into his head at all hours of the day. Over the course of a few weeks he had gone through great effort to find a hobby he enjoyed, exploring whittling, weapons forging, origami and a variety of instruments before settling on the rather odd hobby of sake brewing. What even he did not foresee at the time however, was that eventually he had become such a master at this that it even became his main source of income, merchants and high officials paying thousands of ryo for a single bottle. He had become a legend in the circles of both sake connoisseurs and politicians by name alone, though no one knew it was him, knowing him only by the name of maelstrom-as that was the brand name of his sake. He knew for a fact that even at this very moment several daimyos, including that of the land of fire, were looking for him in the hopes of inviting him to brew for their court. Not that he cared. The sad thing was that if there were anyone unafraid enough of him to ask about anything at all they would have probably known by now.

Used to the slight disorientation that accompanied dimension hopping, Naruto began to make his way to the palace, weaving through the tall grasses which slid against his legs like wisps of velvet. Pushing open the pair of large wrought iron double gates, obviously sculpted after the seal which had transported him here, he stepped onto a perfectly manicured garden path of several different sized stones. Walking through the brightly coloured stalks Naruto entered through the smaller double doors of his home, heading directly to his room to prepare to rest in preparation for the events of the next day. Entering his bedroom naruto reached into a large wardrobe, pulling out a light silk robe of a pale blue colour that matched his eyes. Shrugging out of the yakuta and feeling it puddle at his feet naruto slipped into the looser garment, letting it hang off of his pale shoulders. Rather than climb onto the enormous four poster bed which took up most of the room Naruto exited his supposed bedroom, descending through the maze of passages until reaching a small cellar door. Opening the rather plain doorway to reveal yet another stone tunnel, this one lit by various breeds of glowing fungi, Naruto walked through the tunnel before arriving at a large domelike cavern. Stepping around some of the larger clusters of mushrooms and soft mosses which lit the room, Naruto climbed onto a rather large bed carved from an unidentifiable, and likely valuable, species of wood. He found that this place suited him far better than the opulent and largely unused bedroom up in the mansion. The only reason it was still around was in case he ever actually brought a visitor into his home and didn't want them knowing about the cavern underneath. As his surroundings grew dim, the first beginnings of the nights dreams began to cloak Naruto in their embrace and sighing in contentment, he burrowed into the thick covers, arranging himself comfortably. As he drifted off into sleep Naruto smiled, wondering if tomorrow might surprise even him.

* * *

Vote on Summons

Naruto- dragons (not up for discussion unless you have a really original idea)  
Sasuke- birds of prey or big cats  
Sakura- cranes or hummingbirds  
Kakashi- the boss dog or wolves

I decided instead of strictly yaoi to make it a foursome between the members of team seven but i might be able to be persuaded to make it otherwise if enough people want a different pairing.

Check out my other story Sweet Kitsune, Everyone who liked this story really liked that one too!


	3. Chapter 3

Hello! I recently posted a list of challenges and ideas to this website that i personally think aren't too shabby. Don't worry i'm working on a chapter of sweet kitsune right now and then i'm right back to writing whispers on the wind. I'm just really focused on making longer chapters. But for now, just check them out! I promise you won't be disappointed and i'll definately try to get the chapters out faster. See challenges at,

forum/Challenges-in-the-world-of-Naruto/149935/

And remember, yaoi or femnaru, you decide! I also made a list of the greatest and most hilarious Naruto fanfictions i've ever read and i'm pretty picky so give it a shot, they're definate 10 out of 10's. Despite their greatness most of them haven't been updated in a long time so if you want, see if you can adopt, they really are too good to go to waste. The best ones are at the bottom.

community/Greatest-Naruto-fanfiction-of-all-time/113017/

Keep reviewing, i really appreciate your ideas and good writing, Ashabird

p.s. I know you're probably pissed that there isn't a chapter but i'm working on it, its just really long. Please just check out my challenges at least?


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